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What seems to be completely lost in this Cardinals BFIB claim is that their moral superiority must totally ignore drunk driving and marijuana use. You have LaRussa, Hancock, Kile, Freese, etc., with problems.

The others I'll give you, but what did Darryl Kile do to be a terrible person besides die of a heart attack at a tragically young age?

Hancock died of his own stupidity. Kile died because he had two blocked coronary arteries.

The Rockies "Christian thing" is totally overblown from what I can tell. I mean, I've lived here 15 years, I read and hear about them just about every day, and until that first USA Today (I think) article hit in 2007 I literally had no idea they regarded themselves as any more "Christian" than any other team. Nor have I seen any sign of it since. They do seem to place an emphasis on having good "character" guys, and they definitely make an effort to be community oriented and fan friendly (all of which I appreciate), but as far as being overtly religious....Nah, not that I can see. If they are they're doing a pretty good job of keeping it under wraps.

The most vocally "Christian" baseball team was the Rangers when Johnny Oates was managing them in the late 90's. According to a 1997 article about them in the New York Times Magazine,** at one point 20 of the 25 players on the roster, plus Oates, were "born-again Christians." That was right before A-Rod showed up and likely scared them all away.

My favorite quote from the article was this, from a local broadcaster:

''There's a rule with me,'' says a famous television sports reporter. ''You get one 'I thank the Lord, Jesus Christ.' The next one, we're going back to the booth. I'm not waiting for the director to cut away....

Yes, and it may not have contributed one bit. And I am fine with him doing whatever.

The point is, every team has issues of players drinking, drug use, etc. I would venture that the Cardinals are toward the top of the list on those issues in past few years. And yet their fans act like they are some morally superior organization and the rest of baseball if full of heathens (especially if said players are from a minority race).

No. I understand what zonk is saying above, but come on. If you are a SF Giants fan (and really, why would you lie) then you know these things to be true. 1) Hate is hard for residents of Northern California, it does not come naturally. 2) Southern California, and especially the Dodgers, exists just to harness and clarify the hate that is present.

Hey my three least favorite teams are Dodgers, Yankees, and then Cardinals. But really hate, that is reserved for Dodgers.

Nah, I'm kind of with tshipman here. I hate LA and the Dodgers in a ceremonial way and I'm happy to do so, but I feel like the Cardinals (mainly their fans) have actually earned my dislike.

I wasn't sure who I would root for in this series before it started, and I'll cheer like hell for the Tigers or the Red Sox (uggh) in the WS if the Dodgers make it there, but much to my surprise, I hope they do.

I'll contend that likability of Matheny is not a reason to like the Cardinals. It's a reason to like Matheny.

That aside, your top 10 list is really a top 1 list (they make good decisions) with 10 examples. And I can counter with a top 2 list of my own why to dislike the Cardinals.

1. If you're a fan of any other team, the Cardinals make it harder for your team to succeed.

2. Cardinals fans don't understand why people don't enjoy that.

The first I can tolerate, as it's a necessary part of competition. The second, not so much. It's like a bank charging innumerable fees, more than offsetting interest earned, then being genuinely surprised that you don't enjoy doing business with them. The arrangement works wonderfully for them, they're happy, why shouldn't everyone be happy? Here are 10 reasons you should love us:

1. We keep your money.

2. We don't lose it.

3. We send you notes every now and then reminding you of those facts.

4. We can give you your money in coins.

5. We can give you your money in bills.

6. We could charge more in fees, but we don't.

7. You can get your money from a teller.

8. You can get your money from a machine.

9. You can deposit money either way, too.

10. Every time you fill out a deposit slip, we have today's date right there in front of you, so you don't have to spend 3 seconds figuring out what today is.

Ah, I don't hate the Cardinals. If they were playing for Earth's freedom against a team of insect overlords, I would probably cheer for them. But a 2013 Red Sox / Cardinals World Series would mark a watershed for me: first time in my life I'd ever have rooted for the Red Sox in any contest.

As someone who only came to this thread now, I just want to say: good job, people. Some really great, entertaining stuff here. Zonk in particular wins Best Of Thread, and I fully second what he wrote.

As for the LEAST hated teams, the Padres were a good nomination, and I'd put the Mariners up there as well as the Pirates, Tigers, Diamondbacks and Blue Jays. Can't really think of a reason, either current or recently historical, to dislike these teams. Some of them are recent winners, some of them are long-time losers, but none of them have anything that truly jumps out at me as universally recognizable as a reason for a non-aligned baseball fan to disdain them. I can think of a reason to hate every other team in baseball, whether spurious or well-founded:

American League

Yankees - The Evil Empire.Red Sox - Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.Rays - great team that its fans don't even give a #### about, plus Joe Maddon has gotten rather smug. That whole "Devil Rays mindset" thing sticks in my craw too.Orioles - Peter Angelos, most hateable owner in all of baseball.White Sox - Ozzie is gone but not forgotten, and Hawk Harrelson is present and sadly impossible to forget.Royals - unloveable losers whose awful ownership has rendered them unsympathetic.Twins - their owner threatened to contract his own team! When they were a great, winning franchise! Seriously, fuck these guys.Rangers - somebody has to explain to me why to dislike these guys, but I know there's a reason because...I just do.Angels - Arte Moreno, pathetic attempts to buy a title that backfire, general insufferability of Orange County, CA and the stupid rally monkey. Also, Rev. Halofan. (On the positive side: Matt Welch. But sorry Matt...not enough!)Astros - pathetic joke of a team with nary a single Major League talent and which can't even keep its own TV network from bankruptcy.Athletics - Billy Beane should never have written that book.

National League

Mets - one high-profile fail after another, the Wilpon brothers, Madoff, the R.A. Dickey slander campaign, general New York-ishness.Phillies - Philly fans threw batteries at Santa Claus, enough said. Okay, those were Eagles fans and it's a bit of an urban legend, so I'll add: Ruben Amaro, Jr.Nationals - Bryce Harper and his backpfeifengesicht fauxhawk haircut, whiny noveau riche fans who act entitled just because they had to sit through a few bad seasons, lingering pity for Montreal, plus the stench of Jim Bowden hasn't quite washed off yet. Also, Washington DC may be the most hateful city in the entire United States these days.Braves - as if it needs to be explained. Insufferable players, Brian McCann b*tching about playing the game "the right way," the godawful tomahawk chop, and Tom Glavine's strike zone.Marlins - oh for fuck's sake.Cardinals - the Devil made flesh. The locus of all evil in the current baseball world. Tony La Russa, drunken criminal mastermind of baseball juicers.Brewers - Ryan Braun, biggest scumbag in baseball.Reds - Johnny Cueto's concussive kick, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan's Superfriends on the Veterans Committee, Brennaman.Cubs - unloveable losers, self-pitying fans, the demonization of Steve Bartman.Rockies - might as well play on the moon as far as stats are concerned, Jesus Power.Giants - these people still love Barry Bonds. Unreservedly. Won two World Series in the past four years despite having a GM who seems to be a howler monkey throwing darts at a board.Dodgers - Los Angeles: wretched hive of scum, villainy, and fans who are as likely to shiv you in the parking lot as greet you with a smile.

I want to make it clear that if I dislike a team or its fans, it isn't because the team is better on the field than the team I root for. I root for the Padres and Mariners; almost every team in either league is better.

I want to make it clear that if I dislike a team or its fans, it isn't because the team is better on the field than the team I root for. I root for the Padres and Mariners; almost every team in either league is better.

Same here. I root for the Mariners and Nationals. Up until last year, those were the two worst teams in baseball, pretty much. In the AL West I've always loathed the Angels but admired the Athletics and felt neutral toward the Rangers. In the NL East I don't actually harbor any ill-will towards the Mets or Phillies, but cannot stand the Braves (who are a great team) or Marlins (who are...not).

"I hate the Cardinals more than I hate the Yankees, the Cowboys, the Fighting Irish, the Dodgers, and the Mets combined. I respect the Cardinals as an organization and I love Stan Musial like any rational American."

+ 100

if Cardinals fans have any consolation here, let's clarify that everybody loves/loved Stan The Man.
#impeccable

In all seriousness though...well, at least with a little seriousness... I truly think the likability of Matheny does reflect positively on the Cards. He wasn't a contender for a managerial job anywhere. He was a complete rube that Mozeliak decided he wanted. Maybe partly because he was a rube so Mozeliak could consolidate a little power. Can't imagine that it was fun to be a new GM with LaRussa managing. But it looks like Mozeliak also successfully judged Matheny's upside, in particular his (so far) good handling of young players.

So I guess my list is 10 things to like about Mo. Works for me.

And also in all seriousness, the whining by Beltran and Wainwright in this series is not endearing.